JHS Colour Box V2 10 Year Anniversary

Colour Box V2

The Colour Box V2 has all the same functionality of the V1 with many new and improved additions like expanded EQ controls, a Hi/Lo switch for massive clean headroom, and the ability to pass phantom power to your condenser mics.

The most significant improvements are:

• Addition of an Output transformer
• Safely passes 48V phantom power
• EQ shift knobs for precision EQ control
• Hi/Lo switch for ultra clean headroom
• 100% available clean signal even on acoustic guitar
• Silent switching without switch-pop
• Runs on standard 9V DC neg power

Features & Controls

The Gain section in red has three controls: Master, Pre-Vol, and Step. The Master volume controls the overall volume of the unit. The Pre-Vol controls the amount of gain between the two internal gain stages. This acts as a drive or gain control, adding more grit, distortion, and even fuzz as you increase the gain.

The Step control increases the gain of each preamp stage in five stages. Rotating the Step knob from left to right will increase the gain by the following: first is plus 18 dB, second is plus 23 dB, third is plus 28 dB, fourth is plus 33 dB, fifth is plus 39 dB.

The Colour Box V2 has a new Hi/Lo switch to control the amount of clean headroom you have available. In the Lo mode, you can get ultra clean sounds without breakup, which is excellent for tone shaping when distortion is not needed. In the Hi mode, the Colour Box V2 will distort more readily, giving you a broad spectrum of overdrive, distortion, and fuzz sounds.

In addition to the Hi/Lo gain switch, there is a -20dB pad switch on the right side of the Colour Box V2. This function only works when in XLR input mode and can help tame the volume for high-output microphones.

Most Powerful EQ Yet

The EQ section in blue has three new Shift controls corresponding to the Treble, Middle, and Bass controls. The EQ knobs adjust the amount of frequencies boosted and cut, while the Shift knobs adjust the frequency range controlled by the Treble, Middle, and Bass knobs.

EQ Functions

• Treble Knob - Cut/Boost Control: plus/minus 15dB, flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW boosts.
• Middle Knob - Cut/Boost Control: plus/minus 10dB, flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW boosts.
• Bass Knob - Cut/Boost Control: plus/minus 15dB, flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW boosts.

Frequencies Controlled by EQ Shift Knobs:

• Treble Shift - 2kHz to 30kHz. CCW lowers the center frequency, CW raises it.
• Middle Shift - 150Hz to 2.4kHz. CCW lowers the center frequency, CW raises it.
• Bass Shift - 20Hz to 440Hz. CCW lowers the center frequency, CW raises it.

The Hi-Pass section is enabled by the toggle switch below the Hi-Pass knob. Flip it up to engage the Hi-Pass knob. The HPF is a 2nd order 12dB per octave high pass filter. The -3dB cutoff frequency can be adjusted from 160Hz to 650Hz.

XLR and Output

The Colour Box V2 has a combination XLR and 1/4 inch input jack for either an instrument or microphone. Select your input with the input selector switch on the right side of the pedal labeled INST/XLR.